Ollivanders in South Side, Diagon Alley, London, is owned by the Ollivander family and run by an older family member Garrick Ollivander, known only as Mr. Ollivander. Mr. Ollivander has been serving as the family shopkeeper at least since the 1930s, and remembers every wand he's ever sold. The Ollivander family are widely acknowledged to be the best wandmakers in Britain, and rank among the finest wandmakers in Europe. Wandmaking has been the family business since 382 B.C. Although there are other wandmakers in Britain, most new British wands are purchased from Ollivanders, including almost all first wands purchased by incoming Hogwarts students. There is also an Ollivanders in Hogsmeade.

Contents

Diagon Alley

History

It is believed by Garrick Ollivander, a descendant of the original Ollivander, that the founder of Ollivanders arrived with the Romans, setting up a stall (which, in due course, evolved into a shop) to manufacture and sell wands to the ancient British wizards, whose wands were crudely-made and inferior in quality and performance.[1]

Ollivander: "I remember every single wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar."

Description

Wands display at Ollivanders Shop.

The shop was described as narrow and shabby with peeling gold letters over the door of the shop read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

The shop's display consisted of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop was tiny, empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.

Behind the scenes

Interior of Ollivanders

Despite Garrick Ollivander's claims that the original Ollivander arrived to Great Britain with the Romans, this individual started his wand-making business in 382 B.C. but the Roman conquest of Britain (Britannia) only began effectively A.D. 43, under Emperor Claudius.